A Volcanoes + National Park visit + Waterfalls experience by Hawaii Forest and Trail. Back to all Big Island tours.
Tour Summary: Hawaii Forest & Trail is the only operator with a private chocolate tasting at Lavaloha, beside the farm's own waterfall. A guide picks the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park stops for the day, then the group tours the 1,000-acre cacao farm above Hilo Bay.
The park hikes add up to 2 to 3 miles, over lava that can be uneven and rocky. Image credit: Hawaii Forest & Trail 
Guides choose the park stops for the day's conditions, such as this collapsed lava tube on an open lava field. The tree-to-bar tour at Lavaloha starts with ripe cacao pods like these. Guides point out native plants along the way, including the curled fronds of new ferns. Image credit: Hawaii Forest & Trail Ferns are among the first plants to take root on new lava. Image credit: Hawaii Forest & Trail The chocolate tasting takes place beside this waterfall on Lavaloha Chocolate Farm. Guides cover the park's geology, plants and history at each stop. Image credit: Hawaii Forest & Trail A lit walkway runs through Nāhuku (Thurston Lava Tube) in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Image credit: Hawaii Forest & Trail Rainwater seeping onto hot rock rises as steam at the Steam Vents near the summit of Kīlauea. Image credit: Hawaii Forest & Trail Parts of the park hikes cross open lava and cinder with little shade. Kīlauea Iki crater held a lava lake in 1959; its floor is now hardened lava. Guides stop at lava formations like this overhang on the park hikes.
5 Tour Highlights:
- A private chocolate tasting beside the waterfall on Lavaloha's 1,000-acre cacao farm above Hilo Bay
- A guide who explains Kīlauea's geology, the native plants and how cacao is grown
- Hike lengths and snack breaks matched to families with kids and mixed fitness levels
- Groups capped at 12 guests
- Eruption viewing comes first whenever Kīlauea is erupting during your visit and it is safe and accessible
Important: Bring closed-toe shoes, long pants and a light jacket. Ages 6 and up. Guests should be able to hike on uneven or rocky terrain (2 to 3 miles of hiking in total).
Tour Information:
| Price: | Adult | Youth |
|---|---|---|
| (excluding taxes & fees) | $295 | $270 |
Price note: The youth price is for children ages 6 to 12; adults are 13 and up. Taxes and fees are added at checkout.
Tour Provider: Hawaii Forest and Trail
Activity: Volcanoes + National Park visit + Waterfalls
Tour start time: 7:30 a.m. (from Kona)
Duration: 11.5 hours
Location: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park + Hilo
Pick-up available? Yes! Pickups at Royal Kona Resort, Four Seasons Resort Hualālai, Kona Village, Queens' MarketPlace, the Shops at Mauna Lani, Waikoloa Plaza and ʻImiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo. Your exact meeting time and place come with the booking.
Included: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park entrance fees. Lavaloha Chocolate Farm access fees. Deli-style picnic lunch. Snacks. Assorted beverages. Trekking poles, flashlights and daypacks. Rain gear, bug repellent and sunscreen
Cancellations: Full refund with at least 24 hours' notice; private tours need 72 hours. The tour needs a minimum of 4 guests: if it falls short, the operator tells you at least 24 hours ahead and offers a new date or a full refund. Cancellations inside 24 hours and no-shows are charged the full amount.
Read more: about volcanoes in our Big Island volcanoes guide.
About Hawaii Forest & Trail
Hawaii Forest & Trail is the only operator that ends a guided day in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park with a private chocolate tasting beside the waterfall on Lavaloha Chocolate Farm, a 1,000-acre cacao and tropical fruit farm above Hilo Bay.
Recent TripAdvisor reviewers write about the guide first, and the guide covers geology, plants, cacao and island history. Hawaii Forest & Trail caps groups at 12, though a March 2025 reviewer counted 13 in theirs; another reviewer’s group had four people. The tour was formerly called Volcano Unveiled.
The day: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, then Lavaloha farm
In the park, the guide picks the stops for that day’s conditions and the group’s interests: Halemaʻumaʻu Crater at the summit of Kīlauea, steam vents, a lava tube and recent eruption sites. The short hikes total 2 to 3 miles over uneven, rocky ground that can be wet or muddy. The summit area sits around 4,000 feet, so bring long pants and a light jacket.
Molten lava is not guaranteed. If Kīlauea is erupting while the group is in the park, the guide puts eruption viewing first whenever it’s safe and accessible. Reviewers who went during eruption episodes describe seeing lava while the guide reworked hikes around the crowds. The day ends at the farm, with no after-dark glow stop and no dinner. To see the crater at night, plan a separate evening trip.
At Lavaloha, the group follows cacao from the tree through processing to the finished bar, then tastes the chocolate beside the farm’s own waterfall.
After harvest, cacao beans are fermented and dried before they are roasted into chocolate. Image credit: Hawaii Forest & Trail
Lavaloha's waterfall sits on private farm land, open to the tour's guests for the chocolate tasting. Image credit: Hawaii Forest & Trail
Why book it: Lavaloha’s private tasting and a 12-guest cap
Lavaloha is private land, and the farm tour and waterfall tasting are open only to Hawaii Forest & Trail guests. With 12 guests at most, the guide can change the park route on the day: a longer walk for a fit group, extra breaks, snacks and shorter hikes for families with young kids. Ages 6 and up can join, and the operator rates the day Easy to Moderate.
If the park is your main reason to go, you spend the afternoon at the farm above Hilo. Three of the 27 reviews of the current itinerary (since early 2025) call the chocolate stop the weakest part of the day, and one of them wanted more park time instead. We would book it for travelers who want Kīlauea explained by a guide and a working cacao farm in the same day.
Price and pickup points
The price is $295 per adult (13 and up) and $270 per child ages 6 to 12, plus taxes and fees. It covers the national park entrance fee, the farm access fee, a deli-style picnic lunch, snacks and drinks. Reviewers report the guides handled dietary requests. Trekking poles, flashlights, daypacks, rain gear, bug repellent and sunscreen are provided. Gratuity is optional and not included.
Through December 2026, departures run Monday to Saturday, starting at 7:30 a.m. from Kona. Pickups are at Royal Kona Resort, Four Seasons Resort Hualālai, Kona Village, Queens’ MarketPlace in Waikoloa, the Shops at Mauna Lani, Waikoloa Plaza in Waikoloa Village and ʻImiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo. The day is 11.5 hours from Kona and shorter from Waikoloa and Hilo, with the return after 7 p.m.
Cancel with at least 24 hours’ notice for a full refund. The tour needs 4 guests to run; if it falls short, the operator tells you at least 24 hours ahead and offers a new date or a full refund.
Royal Kona Resort validates parking down to $5 at the front desk after the tour. Pack closed-toe walking shoes and a reusable water bottle; reviewers who went on wet park days used the provided rain gear.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: How much hiking is there on this tour?
A few short hikes add up to 2 to 3 miles, and the guide chooses them for the group’s interests and ability. The ground in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is uneven and rocky and can be cool, wet or muddy, so wear closed-toe walking shoes and long pants. Trekking poles are provided, and the operator rates the tour Easy to Moderate for ages 6 and up.
Q: Will we get to see active lava?
Molten lava is not guaranteed. If Kīlauea is erupting while the group is in the park, the guide will prioritize eruption viewing whenever it is safe and accessible. The day ends at the chocolate farm, with no after-dark stop in the park. Our lava viewing page has the current eruption status and the places to view lava when it is active.
About Hawaii Forest and Trail
Hawaii Forest & Trail is one of the few tour companies allowed onto private lands and controlled-access wildlife refuges. Rob and Cindy Pacheco founded it in 1993, three years after Rob arrived in Hawaiʻi and began working as a naturalist; as of October 2026, its own site lists more than 50 employees. Its ʻIʻiwi Fund, set up in 2018 with the Hawaii Community Foundation, gives $1 per guest to local nonprofits and had given $105,000 as of January 2025. The company’s ongoing stewardship projects include bird count surveys at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, loʻi (taro patch) restoration in Kohala and seed collection for the Waikoloa Dry Forest.
Watch this video on YouTube
Affiliate Disclaimer
Booking through this page costs you nothing extra and is made directly with Hawaii Forest and Trail. We earn a commission from the operator, not from you, and it is what pays for the research that keeps lovebigisland.com free and free of paid placement. We only list operators we would send a friend to. Details on our affiliate links are here.